Friday, July 30, 2010

I'm banning beauty magazines...and embracing my inner goddess!

Every time I travel I face the usual dilemma...buy a new book or a magazine.  How shall I fill my time? (especially considering I get delayed EVERY TIME I fly...)  Since I had just finished "The Girl Who Played With Fire", I decided to buy a Vogue magazine to entertain me on my flight home from visiting family in Western New York. 

I love fashion photography, and have painted some of my favorite pieces inspired by beautiful fashion spreads in a variety of magazines.  But along with the inspiration comes the usual attack on my confidence in the "looks" department.  My crooked nose suddenly feels like the one Nanny McFee used to have before her nose job.  My teeth are haunted by the tormenting words of my older sister "what's with the Chiclets?".  And of course my legs are too short, my hair is not cut right...and let's not even get started on the bust-line problems.

After a few days of hating my whole body and wondering how anyone could spend $4000 on one of the outfits in the magazine, especially when the majority of my wardrobe could be replace with $100 and a quick trip to Target, I start to crawl out of my funk.  I mean, I look good, sometimes, and when you take a blurry photo of me, you can hardly notice the blemishes and crooked eyebrows.

I didn't really feel beautiful again until Wednesday evening, while drawing.  When I captured a warm hi-light on the models hip in my pastel drawing, I realized that those things - the perfect smile, mile-long legs, great hair - may be not part of who I am, but I am lucky enough to be able to Create beauty with a piece of pastel and a sheet of paper.  My DNA may not have granted me Gwyneth's cheekbones, but I got my Aunt's incredible talent, and my great-grandfathers artistic eye.  That.  Is beautiful.

My outer beauty may not be picture-perfect, and I'll still spend my nights wondering if I can afford braces or a nose-job,  but I know none of that can compare with being able to capture a beautiful figure, transforming a blank piece of paper into a Work of Art.

9 comments:

Sharon Tomlinson said...

Never doubt that you are an amazing artist with your own beautiful talent.

Jennifer Cameron said...

I refuse to look at that garbage! Sure, some have "natural" beauty. However, they have people doing their hair, make-up, and wardrobe for hours on end, they barely eat, have personal trainers, they have had multiple procedures, AND they airbrush those photos so it's not even real people. It's ridiculous. Plus, some of the most gorgeous women in the world don't looks so great without all the make-up.

You are beautiful the way you are and I don't doubt tweaking things would give you more self confidence in your appearance (that's how we all are), but most people probably don't even notice what you see as huge glaring imperfections. And I wish I had even a speck of painting talent you have.

Harry Kent said...

great composition executed with restraint ... love the intensity of the monochrome

Krystyna81 said...

Sharon...Thank you :)

Jennifer...I am in agreement! No more of these magazines!
And Thank you for the compliment...I promise to focus on my natural gifts!

StormcrowNaturePreserve said...

I'd take a crooked nose and a less than perfect smile any day. We aren't meant to be perfect, where meant to be human-sans airbrush, photoshop and whatever else! Imperfection is so much more interesting to me.

I don't know how anyone with as much talent as you have could ever feel down on themselves... But there you go--you are human, afterall.

Take that stupid magazine and burnt it!

xxoo

Lrc said...

I know what you mean about the effect of those magazines. Jennifer is right, they have a team of people making them look amazing. Not to mention, PHOTOSHOP! Creativity imagines the world, what an incredible gift that is. I actually find many of those models uninteresting compared to the rest of us. Did you know that only 2% of people have those skinny body types?

Mrgee59 said...

Hope you had a good time back here in WNY and that it reinvigorated you and gave you plenty of inspiration to create more work

Krystyna81 said...

Poedy...I agree! Inperfection IS more interestign!

My mom once sewed a cute little teddy bear, and realized after he was all done that his mouth was crooked. I remember telling her how much I liked it - her devestation over her "mistake" kind of shocked me. I thought it was the best part!

StormcrowNaturePreserve said...

Exactly! "Mistakes' are so much more interesting and endearing and relatable! And above all-real! I love real.

xxoo

Jody